The ancient stone wall is the world’s largest man-made structure, built and rebuilt on a continual basis from around 220 BC until the Ming Dynasty in the 1600s.

The wall was designed to protect the Chinese empire from northern invasions and once spanned 12,400 miles, reports relate.

Many parts of the wall are crumbling and some sections have been demolished over the years.

The Chinese government has specific regulations concerning preservation of the Great Wall and those found guilty of damaging a cultural relic could face up to 10 years in prison, reports indicate.

In August, a state-supervised body, the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation, launched a crowd-funding campaign to restore some of the most damaged sections of the wall. The campaign has raised 870,647 Yuan ($130,482 USD) thus far.